Niche Academy Platform Release Notes

Known Issues

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Release 16.2.0.0 (March 28, 2024)

• Features Released:
  • Manage Users - We have put all user functionality for both admins and learners in a new component called Manage Users.  This also includes teams and how those are managed.
  • Usage Reports - We have now put all reports in this section, starting with a reporting dashboard that will give you a good overview of your academy.
  • For both of these features, please see our March newsletter for a video walkthrough
• Bugs Fixed
  
  • Drag and drop is laggy and seems to not always work
  • Allow to approve activity without posting in discussion
  • Learner is able to access private academy even when deleted from academy
  • Collection items are being turned into copied elements
  • Can't change time/inaccurate time on a tutorial
  • Enforce order doesn't work if someone has a link to the end of the tutorial
  • Access Requests Not Showing Up For Supervisors
  • Notifications Assigned is spelled incorrectly
  • Manage Category Scroll Bar Not Working
  • Pathway is not getting created inside the category if category is selected.
  • Remove not showing up sometimes for lessons and when you hit back it goes to the page missing page
  • Ability to search all lines of notifications
  • New tutorials from paid content not searchable
  • Lessons are marked as complete on page load
  • Survey preview is not coming in course detail screen
  • Image not showing up in the pathways without text

Release 16.0.0.0 (January 24, 2024)

• Features Released:
  • New and improved Marketplace - The new marketplace makes it easier to browse content that you can add to your academies as well as make it easier to search and find exactly what you are looking for.  See our January newsletter for a video walkthrough.

•  Bugs Fixed:
  • xAPI files not uploading correctly - Some users reported that when they tried to upload an eLearning file in a sequence that it would get stuck on "file processing in progress".
  • Reorganizing sequence elements not working - some users reported that when they tried to reorganized sequence elements that it wasn't working.
  • Socket hangup on SIP2 connection - In some cases, when a learner entered their barcode it would give them a socket hangup error.
  • Adding learners to Teams is limited - Some users reported that when they went to invite a learner to a team it only showed A-C alphabetically without the option to view more.

Release 15.6.2.0 (December 22, 2023)

• Features Released:
  • SSO 1.0 - SSO enables academy admins to allow learners to log in to Niche Academy using their Azure login details. 

•  Bugs Fixed:
  • Users unable to view pathway items - Some users reported that tutorials that had pathways that were added from the marketplace were not displaying correctly. This issue has been resolved.  

Hotfix release 15.6.0.4 (December 14, 2023)

•  Bugs Fixed:
  • Reorganizing sequence elements causes the app to crash - When trying to organize content in a tutorial with a sequence, Niche Academy would show a 404 error due to a crash. This issue has been resolved. 

Release 15.6.0.0 (November 27, 2023)

• Improvements:
  • Resume Video from last open - Videos uploaded to Niche Academy will be able to start from where the learner has left off on. Learners can close the tutorial and reopen the lesson/sequence with the video starting where they left off.
  • Archive Survey - Surveys can be archived in the tutorial, allowing academy admins to ‘hide’ a survey learners have already completed. 

•  Bugs Fixed:
  • Usage stats are not loading-  Usage stats do not appear in academy reports; this issue has been fixed.
  • Access request settings not scrolling - When in the access request section of Niche Academy, the approval settings dialog does not scroll. This issue has been fixed. 
  • Admins not receiving email template to active academies - When an admin is invited to an active academy, admins receive the email template for trial academies rather than the email for new active academies. This issue has been fixed.
  • Bounced email notification not displaying user's correct name - When a user email is bounced, the user's first and last name does not appear correctly in the notification. This issue has been fixed.

Release 15.4.0.0 (October 25, 2023)

• Improvements:
  • Preview Collections - This will allow us to preview collection items, especially surveys. 
    Creators of those surveys can click on the ellipsis and have a ‘preview’ of how the survey will look in the learner's view. 
    
    

•  Bugs Fixed:
  • Topic creation in tutorial settings - When creating a new topic in the tutorial settings and you leave without saving, the text appears to remain as a topic.
  • Unable to copy tutorials - Some academy admins have reported that they cannot make a copy of a tutorial.  
  • Shared tutorial report download - When downloading a shared tutorial report, the academy name and enrolled learners column appear as empty. 
  • Learners unable to access private pathway - learners who are invited to a private pathway with tutorials also set to private cannot access training even after being assigned the pathway.
  • Filtering for teams in learner reports showing incorrect data - When in the academy learner report filter by team, each learner's submitted data is the same.
  • Unpublished shared tutorial shows up in search - When a user searches from the academy homepage, we can see tutorials that are no longer available, and an error message appears when attempting to open the tutorial. 

Hotfix release 15.4.0.0-hotfixes.1 (October 10, 2023)

• Bugs Fixed:
  • Deleted Tutorials are showing in the marketplace search: This issue has been addressed; only published and shared tutorials now appear in search results. 
  • Sequence mismatch in completion: The sequence appears as completed in the learner view, but it appears as not completed in the learner report. 
  • Unable to rearrange lessons in the tutorial: After moving a tutorial element and refreshing, the order does not persist. 
  • Videos not appearing: For our customers who purchased our reseller training package, videos did not appear in the tutorial lessons. 
  • Unable to create new tutorials: Academy admins who were part of an active trial could not create new tutorials, even though the trial was still active and had not expired.  
  • Counting hidden elements for completion percentage: The calculated completion percentage is incorrect. Tutorials that had elements that were hidden were affecting the percentage calculation. 
  • Unable to open access request page: Some academies cannot open the access request page and are stuck in the loading screen view. 
  • Learner name does not appear in email: Academy admins are receiving emails of pending approval activities that show ‘null null’ for the learner's first name and last name. 
  • Unable to access tutorial settings: Collaborators cannot access tutorial settings even after being granted access as editor and/or owner. 
  • Unable to search on the academy homepage while on trial: In an academy that is part of a trial, the search on the academy home page does not work, and an error message appears.
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Release 15.2.0.0 (September 26, 2023)

• Feature Released:
  • Notifications: Our notification center provides a centralized hub where admins and learners can effortlessly manage and view all their notifications. Whether you're an admin awaiting activity approval, or a learner eager for feedback on an assignment, our Notification Center ensures you never miss a beat. With distinct sections for 'Admin' and 'Learner' notifications, each notification will be displayed as a convenient bubble with essential details. You can easily navigate through access requests, activity submissions, discussion replies, and more.
    
    
    
• Improvements:
  • Category Update: We have introduced a way for academy admins to manage their categories better. 
    Now, when they are logged into Niche Academy and in edit mode, they can drag and drop tutorials into their desired categories.
  • GDPR 1.1 : For our users that are in EU and/or part of academies that are GDPR compliant will see a few updates:
    • Consent form - agreeing that Niche Academy will store some personal identifiable information. Just First name, last name and email address.
    • Delete request - updated flow for delete request, they will be sent an email confirming the deletion request and a way to reverse their request.
    • Download data - Automated email will be generated, allowing users to request all learner data on our platform.
      

•  Bugs Fixed:
  • Customers Using Blackboard Have Noticed That Grades Are in Decimal Values: Learners' grade book results were returned in decimal format i.e. for 6/10 result was shown as 0.6/10
  • Underline not aligned: The Underline Under "Reusable Content" Heading on the Right is Not Aligned with the One on the Left
  • Embedded Zipped Files Not Loading: Unable to add tincan files in embedded elearning element of a sequence.
  • Categories Don't Disappear When All Tutorials Are Unpublished: When unpublishing all tutorials in a category, the category still appeared in learner view.
  • Lesson Progress Not Matching with the One in Database and Being Counted in Real-Time on Frontend: There was a mismatch between the score displayed in the tutorial learner view and database resulting is unmatched scores such as 150% completed.
  • View Tutorial Button Always Shows the Same Message: When a tutorial has been completed, and you click on the view tutorial button, the prompt advising of new content should not be displayed.

Hotfix release 15.0.0.0-hotfixes.2 (September 1, 2023)

 

• Bugs fixed:
  • Mismatch of lessons in shared tutorial report: When viewing the shared tutorial report , lessons added by the child academy are displayed. 
  • Tutorial links no longer appearing: Tutorial links are not appearing that have been added in the tutorial settings. Affecting academy view and widget view.
  • Learners appear in the learner report but are unable to log in: learners appeared to be valid users but were unable to log in, even after niche academy staff attempted to reset their password. Only affected a certain group of learners. 
  • Performance issues in shared tutorial report: Addressed the speed issues when opening the shared tutorial report.  

Hotfix release 15.0.0.0-hotfixes.1 (August 25, 2023)

• Bugs fixed:
  • Archive Issues: A mix of issues in the archive feature, such as, incorrect element name in the confirmation message, sequence video not appearing in the archive view, and an 'undefined' error appears when attempting to archive sequence. 
  • LTI learner view: In LTI, the back button takes the learner to the academy homepage. 
  • Activity scroll not appearing: When an admin attempts to approve activity in the learner report, the admin is not able to scroll and view learner submission. 
  • URL misspelled: Reusable content report URL was misspelled as 'reusable-contnet-report'.
  • Not Published banner not appearing: When admin unpublishes shared tutorial in their academy, the 'not published' banner does not appear.
  • Sequence completion issue: When a learner completes a sequence and retakes a sequence, they see new additional questions. 
  • Sequence as intro error: When admin makes a sequence intro in a tutorial, tutorial menu spacing is broken.

Release 15.0.0.0 (August 23, 2023)

• Feature Released:
  • Archive Tutorial Elements: The new archiving feature enhances the tutorial editing experience. Academy admins can now archive specific elements within a tutorial. Selecting the ellipsis will reveal a new 'archive' option after hovering over a lesson, quiz, or sequence. This action transfers the element to the tutorial's archive section, ensuring a clutter-free editing space.
    
    
• Improvements:
  • Design Overhaul: Niche Academy sports a fresh, modern look. Addressing user feedback, the academy homepage is now even more intuitive. Key changes include but are not limited to; the relocation of the Edit/Learner toggle to the top right corner, text-based descriptions menu icons, an updated font family, subtle shadow modifications for tutorial boxes, and adjusted padding between labels and text.
  • Confirmation message when unpublishing tutorials: When academy admins go to unpublish a tutorial, a prompt will appear asking for confirmation.

•  Bugs Fixed:
  • Survey Completion: Fixed the issue of users being unable to access surveys due to incessant reloading.
  • Email Domain Authentication: Resolved the issue where users could not log in using domains that are part of the approved list.
  • Survey Access Control: Ensuring that surveys added to a tutorial with required enrolment enabled confirmed that learners were logged in. 
  • Tutorial Sharing to Marketplace: Admins can now seamlessly share tutorials to the marketplace without waiting more than 2 hours. 
  • Pathway Access for Learners: Rectified the anomaly where learners assigned to pathways couldn't access specific tutorials.
  • Visibility of Subcategories: Subcategories, even those part of categories without tutorials, are now correctly displayed in the learner view.
  • Quiz Radio Button Display: Addressed a styling glitch that minimized radio buttons for lengthy answer options.
  • Sequence Progression and Completion: Fixed the bug causing sequences to preload all elements at once, and rectified the sequence completion status when they had knowledge checks or polls.
  • Sierra Integration: Learners no longer face prompts for library card barcodes if the Sierra integration is removed.
  • Marketplace Video Display: Videos within tutorials are now properly visible when accessed from the marketplace.
  • CEU Hours on Certificates: Tutorials marked complete by instructors now correctly display the CEU hours on certificate downloads.
  • SIP2 Authentication in Pathways: Ensured that enabling the SIP2 authentication works flawlessly in pathways, prompting users for barcode submissions when needed.

Release 14.9.1.0 (July 26, 2023)

• Feature Released:
  • Sierra integration: We now offer a dedicated ILS integration with libraries that use Sierra!
    This feature allows libraries to require patrons to enter their library card barcode to gain access directly to an academy or tutorial.
  • Response filter in survey reports: We now offer a new type of filter within the survey report, titled "Responses." 
    With this filter applied, you will be able to see the other responses to questions of a survey. 
    i.e. In my current survey, I have a question that asks learners on how useful the training was.  I want to see the text response of the learners that rated the tutorial as "not helpful" to see comments to understand better why they did not find the tutorial helpful. 
    
    
• Improvements:
  • Tutorial trial report: For organizations that use our trial feature, there is now an option for organizations admins will be able to download a CSV file of the learners that have enrolled to the tutorial trial. 

•  Bugs Fixed:
  • Organization stats: Some organizations stated that they were unable see the usage stats for all of their academies. This issue has been fixed. 
  • Unable to Select All: in the the edit category view unable to click on the "select all" option in the edit category view of uncategorized tutorials. This issue has been fixed.
  • Only the first 50 tutorials appear on the learner report: When looking at the detailed view for a learner, only the first 50 tutorials appear even if they are enrolled/assigned more than 50 tutorials. This issue has been fixed.
  • Granting access to paid tutorials is not working: Some academy admins have reported that they are unable to grant other academies access to their paid tutorials. This issue has been fixed. 
  • Unable to view activity feedback: If a tutorial activity is approved, the feedback the admin leaves for the learner is not visible. This issue has been fixed. 

 

Release 14.9.0.0 (June 26, 2023)

• Feature Released:
  • Tutorial owners: We're excited to introduce a new feature allowing tutorial owners more control over access and editing. With the new 'share options' feature, tutorial owners can now assign specific individuals as editors, granting them permission to make edits to the tutorial. This feature is particularly beneficial for larger organizations with multiple contributors and ensures seamless collaboration and efficient tutorial management.
    
    
• Improvements:
  • Anonymous Survey: Learners now have the ability to complete surveys, providing valuable feedback and insights for improved learning experiences.
  • Custom Report Enhancement: Users can now view the titles of tutorials that learners have completed, enhancing visibility and reporting capabilities.

•  Bugs Fixed:
  • Resolved the issue with duplicate tutorials appearing in the category view.

Hotfix release 14.8.5.0 (June 19, 2023)

• Feature Released:
  • SumTotal Integration: We now offer customers to integrate Niche Academy with the SumTotal LMS 
    
    
• Bugs fixed:
  • Upload certificate issue; users were not able to upload certificates. The issue is now fixed. 
  • Fixed issue where saved custom reports with applied filters were not retained.
  • Addressed UI issue when opening the 'invite learners' feature in academy settings.
  • Fixed the issue of collection items being incorrectly displayed as tutorials in the learner report.
  • Resolved scroll issue on the 'Access Request' page for academies with paid tutorials.
  • Fixed the issue where learners were prompted to log in or create an account before taking a sequence.
  • Resolved issue with learner invites not being sent when invited from the learner report.

Release 14.8.0.0 (May 24, 2023)

• Feature Released:
  • Integrations page: This is a central location where you can manage all the integrations you have at the moment. 
    
    
• Improvements:
  • Update categories functionality: Allow to move a category into another category as a subcategory.
  • Enable Posting of Incomplete Quiz Scores to LTI: We're now allowing the posting of quiz scores to LTI tools even if the tutorial is not yet completed. This will provide better progress tracking for learners.

• Bugs Fixed:
  • Fixed centering of 'Require Answer' message in knowledge check questions
  • Fixed reorder icon placement in sequence knowledge check element
  • Resolved issues with creating Widgets
  • Addressed problems with inviting organization admins
  • Fixed the issue where learners invited from tutorial settings were not appearing in learner report
  • Fixed the issue where the settings icon was not appearing for moved subcategories
  • Addressed advanced settings issues on Academy
  • Fixed spacing issue in due date tutorial banner
  • Fixed the issue where tutorial label was not changing from "Add" to "Remove" in the Marketplace
  • Fixed the issue when looking at a learner in the learner report and then clicking back
  • Resolved issue with multiple reminder emails being sent for the same tutorial and academy
  • Fixed the issue where learners invited through private tutorial's settings were not appearing in learner report
  • Fixed default marketplace type for new academies built by organization admins
  • Resolved odd issues with learners who suffered from the blank field issue
  • Fixed the issue where custom sorting of tiles in the academy home page were not consistently maintaining order

Release 14.6.0.0 (May 11, 2023)

• Feature Released:
  • Advanced Filters in Learner Report: New filtering options have been added to our learner reports. Search for learners that have connected via LTI, have pending activities, or are using an email that has bounced back.
  • Option to Delete Organization: Super admins can now delete organizations directly from the platform. This removes access to academies that are no longer current customers. A deleted organization can be recovered by super admins for 90 days after deletion if needed.
    
    
• Improvements:
  • Role Selection when Inviting New Academy Admins: We've improved the invitation process for new academy admins by including a role selection feature. This helps define access levels from the beginning.
  • Ability to Save and Schedule Custom Reports: You can now customize, save, and schedule your reports, automating the report generation process.

• Bugs Fixed:
  • Dates filter on usage stats and shared tutorial report.
  • Download issue with single tutorial report from usage stats.
  • Side button widget issue: Resolved the issue of the side button widget only opening halfway. This was only affecting one customer.
  • Login issue with private academy with Allow domain setup: Fixed the bug where learners were unable to log in to a private academy with a specific domain setup even though they had an email with that domain.
  • Missing learner emails on learner report.
  • Visibility of newly invited learner on academy learner report: Fixed the issue where newly invited learners from the tutorial settings weren't appearing on the academy learner report.

Hotfix release 14.4.0.1 (April 18, 2023)

• Bugs Fixed:
  
  • Name of users does not appear in search results when searching by email address.
  • When inviting a current learner, error message is displayed.

Release 14.4.0.0 (April 6, 2023)

• Feature Released:
  • Basic Custom Report: Generate custom reports to analyze your learners' data. Select specific data points and generate tailored reports for informed decision-making and improved learner management.
  • Teams 1.1: Improved functionality in creating and managing teams. This update streamlines the process of grouping learners, tracking their progress collectively, and enhancing the overall admin experience.
    
    
• Improvements:
  • Survey Update: Added placeholder text in the description box for instructors.
  • Survey Report Update: Academies/tutorials with no submissions will appear grayed out if no submission has been completed.

• Bugs Fixed:
  • Widget creation issue for supervisors with widget access.
  • Unable to extend due date in private tutorials.
  • Loading delay in the tutorial report.
  • Issue adding a tutorial from recently added section of the marketplace.
  • Filters not being applied to the tutorial report.
  • Unable to delete custom certificate for academy level.
  • Download issue for reports with custom date ranges.
  • Unable to approve access to access request from an academy admin.
  • Issue removing shared collection.
  • Issue with displaying last name first in learner report.
  • Academy certificate deletion and academy updating issue.
  • Newly invited learner to tutorial does not appear on academy learner report.

Hotfix release 14.2.0.2 (Mar 15, 2023)

• Bugs Fixed:
  
  • Unique tutorial trial URL 
  • Back button from subcategory and clicking on unique subcategory URL resulted in error message
  • Supervisors with widget access were unable to create widgets, even though permission was granted. 

Release 14.2.0.0 (Mar 1, 2023)

• Feature Released:
  • Tutorial Trial Set-up (beta): New feature that will allow organizations to create free trials of specific tutorials to send out to specific learners can try out paid tutorials before purchasing them for themselves or their organization. 
    
    
• Improvements:
  • UI updates: added some new styling to the shadows and animations throughout the platform
  •  Updated toasters: changed styling and text of the pop-up that appears on the platform
    
    
• Bugs Fixed:
  • Scrolling in the text response when viewing the survey report is not working
  • Re-subscribe an academy for paid tutorials does not work
  • Add/Remove button sporadically works in the marketplace
  • Unable to switch from edit mode to learner view when working on an activity in tutorials
  • The tutorial report shows a slowdown of 30+ seconds when clicking to assign tutorials to learners
  • Unable to delete a custom certificate from the academy level in general settings
  • Email in the learner report is not clickable for users that have not finished creating their profile
  • Unable to restore academy after deletion in organization view from the archived table

Hotfix release 14.0.0.2 (Feb 14, 2023)

• Bugs Fixed:
  
  • When setting allowed domains, recently added domains do not display on table.
  • Learner name missing from certificate of completion
  • Learner name or email does not display on learner report after inviting to academy 

Hotfix release 14.0.0.1 (Feb 7, 2023)

• Bugs Fixed:
  
  • Unable to move lessons from the overview section to other sections in the tutorial
  • The scrolling feature in the reusable content report not working for collections with several elements
  • In the survey report, while reviewing submissions, stars are clickable.
  • Unable to delete newly invited learners from the learner report
  • Missing lessons from shared tutorial

Release 14.0.0.0 (Feb 2, 2023)

• Feature Released:
  • Survey: New feature to allow to creation of surveys in reusable content. 6 different types of questions and user responses are kept anonymous. To learn more, click on the following link: How to add a survey to my tutorial
  • Reusable content report:  This report will allow academy admins to see how the items of their collection are performing across tutorials and academies. 
    
    
• Improvements:
  • GDPR compliance: For our users in the EU and the UK will have their data stored in servers physically located in the EU. Users will also be able to delete their own user data.

Hotfix release 13.0.1.3 (Jan 23, 2023)

• Bugs Fixed:
  
  • Asking the user to enter library card barcode, even when SIP2 has been removed from the academy
  • Team count is not being updated after removing learners from a certain team
  • Inviting a previously removed learner as an admin resulting in an error message.
  • SIP2 location code not being passed to the ILS

Hotfix release 13.0.1.2 (Jan 3, 2023)

• Bugs Fixed:
  
  • Child tutorial settings cannot be modified by the admin of the child academy. 
  • Grades in D2L are not syncing with the completion of tutorial.
  • The required comments feature in the discussion not working.
  • The reminder email contains an invalid link to the tutorial.
  • The shared tutorial report shows additional characters at the beginning of the tutorial titles.

Hotfix release 13.0.1.1 (Dec 1, 2022)

• Bugs Fixed:
  
  • The embedded e-learning file not showing as completed as 100% even though all elements have been completed. 
  • Front-end radio buttons are different sizes.
  • Changing the size of the widget doesn't reflect in the live website. 
  • unable to clear SIP2 credentials using the clear button. 
  • title of the elements in a sequence do not save after refresh.

Release 13.0.1.0 (Nov 24, 2022)

• Feature Released:
  • Tutorial template: allow academy tutorials to be copied when setting up a trial academy. 
    
• Improvements:
  • Angular 14 update
  • CEU sorting: Allow admins to sort by CEUs in the learner report.
  • Updated test cases: Automatic testing scenarios updated with best practices to accommodate changes with angular 14 and future updates. 
    
    
• Bugs Fixed:
  • Shared tutorial report missing data from elements that were originally collections. 
  • SIP2 setup errors: Connect button will not always appear and the clear button does not remove data from setup.
  • The button to add closed captioning does not appear in certain screen sizes. 
  • copy icon in widgets does not work.
  • add element button in sequence missing when you scroll.
  • In organization management, the add academy icon is missing for super admins.
  • View count missing for reusable content that was viewed in child tutorials. 
  • Reordering does not stick after switching to learner view and refresh.
  • Discussion comments do not appear in learner report but do appear in tutorial report view. 

Release 13 (Nov 16, 2022)

• Feature Released:
  • Sub-Categories: Admins can create sub-categories within current categories to better visually let learners know about similar categories. 
  • Academy wizard 1.0: allow users to set up their trial academy (beta)
    
    
• Improvements:
  • Organization academy limit: Super admin feature that allows limiting the number of academies that an organization can create. 
  • Unpublished tutorials cannot be retaken: If an admin unpublishes a tutorial, learners will be unable to retake the tutorial. The learner will still be able to review tutorial if they like. 
  • Add enrollment date column to the learner report.
    
    
• Bugs Fixed:
  • CSV file for the learner download report will change to text file type if the learner's name has special characters.
  • The assignment email contains a link that was not stylized to indicate that the link is clickable. 
  •  Phantom elements in the tutorial do not allow the tutorial to be marked as completed.
  • The usage stats table is not correctly reflecting completion data from tutorials. 
  • Users could not update their email addresses if the new email they wished to use was invited to Niche Academy.
  • The overdue icon appears for learners in the learner report that do not have any overdue tutorials to be completed. 
  • Error on fetching courses that have an invalid id.
  • Unable to enable certificate of completion on tutorials if setting from the academy settings rather than the tutorial settings.

Hotfix Release 12.1.1 (Oct. 28, 2022)

• Bugs Fixed:
  
  • SRT file was not able to be added to videos.
  • Scroll not working on teams page.
  • back arrow takes learner to category menu instead of back to the pathway menu.